The present invention relates to construction using Insulating Concrete Forming Systems (ICFS), and more particularly to a new system for constructing insulated concrete structures.
Insulating Concrete Forming Systems (ICFS) which are currently known, act as forms for the construction of concrete walls, the end benefit is a wall which is already insulated and ready for the application of exterior and interior finish materials. The known ICFS currently in use comprise a pair of foam plastic panels connected by a plurality of ties or connectors. The panels are molded from expanded polystyrene (EPS) beads providing low density foam plastic panels which are used as a form to contain the concrete during placement. The EPS beads are expanded with high pressure steam, in molds that are confined by a large press.
An example of Known art is U.S. Pat. No. 5,896,714 issued to Cymbala et al. on Apr. 27, 1999 comprises pairs of panels molded from EPS and connected by ties. The ties have opposed vertical flanges with web portions extending between. In one embodiment the flanges of the ties are molded within the panels, the web members extending between panels. In another embodiment the panels are formed with xe2x80x9cTxe2x80x9d-shaped slots amenable to accept the flanges of the ties.
Another example of known art is U.S. Pat. No. 6,170,220 issued to Moore, Jr. on Jan. 9, 2001 comprising opposing panels molded from EPS and using molded-in web members. The web members have attachment points that extend past the inside face of the panels, the connecters extend between and engage the attachment points of opposing panels.
Known art systems are limited in many respects due to the materials used, the manufacturing process and the configuration of the ties, webs and connectors. The EPS foam doesn""t adhere to the ties and webs when using molded-in configurations causing a weak point in the panels at each tie or web location. In the slide-in configurations the molded slots penetrate deeply into the panels also creating a weakness at each penetration. There are no ties or webs located at the panel ends allowing the vertical joints to bulge or blowout during concrete placement. The panels are manufactured in small units approximately 12 inches to 16 inches in height and 36 inches to 48 inches in length, the size being limited by the strength of the low density EPS and the prohibitive cost of larger molds and more expensive machinery to contain the molds during the high pressure steam expansion process. EPS has a relatively low R-value per inch and the poor structural characteristic make it prone to damage during material handling and construction.
The tie configuration disclosed in Cymbala is typical of many of the known art systems, the webs of the ties comprising closely spaced members leaving little open space through the webs, in effect, perforating the concrete at each tie location. In Moore, Jr. there are numerous connectors required between the panels to hold the pressure of the poured concrete. These restrictive configurations, and the close spacing of the ties, webs and connectors, create a structural weakness in the wall caused by the number of penetrations through the concrete, in addition they inhibit the natural flow of the concrete during placement increasing the difficulty of pouring the walls and causing honey comb in the concrete. The inherent weakness of the EPS makes it very difficult to vibrate the walls to increase the concrete flow and reduce the honey comb without causing the forms to bulge or blowout. In the molded-in tie and web configurations the inability of the EPS to bond to the flanges of the ties and web members allows the panels to split along the flanges under the pressure of the concrete during placement, causing the walls to bulge and blowout. In Moore, Jr. the large number of connectors that must be installed is time-consuming and the labor required is costly.
The use of EPS foam as a form material, the use of small unit sizes and the restrictive tie, web and connector configurations create difficulties that must be overcome. When using small unit sizes there are more units to set increasing the labor required to erect a wall. There are more horizontal and vertical joints increasing the possibility of blowouts during concrete placement and a greater amount of bracing is required to straighten and stabilize the walls. Great care must be taken while placing the concrete to prevent blowouts, the concrete must be placed slowly and in short lifts. Also when EPS foam is exposed to sunlight for any period of time it deteriorates causing a powder to form on the surface of the panels, thus when using finish materials which require a strong bond to the substrate special treatment is required to remove the deterioration. A large amount of labor is required to prepare the numerous horizontal and vertical joints before the application of finish materials. Another downfall of the known art systems is the lack of an easy method for securing wall reinforcing, manual tying of the wall reinforcing is time-consuming and the extra labor required is costly.
The primary object of this invention is to provide a system for constructing Insulated Concrete Structures, allowing for virtually unlimited sizes, shapes and thickness of forms and also custom form configurations.
Another object of this invention is to provide a means for increased strength and durability of forms allowing for larger sizes.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved form many times larger than other systems.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved larger form thereby reducing the number of horizontal and vertical joints in a wall requiring less preparation work for interior and exterior finish materials.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved larger form creating a stronger wall during erection and concrete placement.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved larger form requiring less time to install, less bracing material and labor, allowing for substantial cost savings.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a means for attaching a facing to forms, allowing direct application of exterior and interior finish materials thereby reducing the cost of finishing walls.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a means for attaching a facing to forms, providing UV protection before and during construction.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide for attaching a facing to forms, allowing the embedded studs and chase ways to be located by markings on the facing.
Still yet another object of this invention is to provide embedded studs that extend the full height of forms providing greater strength of forms and ease of fastening interior and exterior finish materials.
Still yet another object of this invention is to provide a means for a variable, horizontal spacing between embedded studs, adding additional strength for greater lift heights during concrete placement and casting of thick walls, also for special user requirements.
A further object of this invention is to provide slide-in spreaders providing ease of installation and allowing for more compact shipping of forms.
A further object of this invention is to provide slide-in spreaders allowing a large variety of poured wall thicknesses.
A further object of this invention is to provide a means for spreaders to lap the horizontal joints between vertically stacked rows of forms by sliding into the grooves of the embedded studs in adjacent panels half their height above and below the joint, creating greater strength and stability during construction and concrete placement and forcing the wall to act as one unit from bottom to top.
A further object of this invention is to provide slide-in spreaders with multiple formations that compliment each other securing wall reinforcing in place there by reducing the amount of manual labor required to fasten reinforcing and maintaining alignment of reinforcing during concrete placement.
A further object of this invention is to provide slide-in spreaders with multiple formations that allows wall reinforcing to be placed in any location required by professional engineers.
A further object of this invention is to provide slide-in spreaders with minimal obstructions in the wall, allowing for the natural flow of concrete in the cavity during concrete placement, something unavailable in other systems.
Yet a further object of this invention is to provide slide-in spreaders and embedded studs enabling the forms to be cut and utilized at any desired height.
Yet a further object of this invention is to provide for slide-in spreaders and embedded stud installation at any cut vertical joint enabling the forms to be cut to any length, eliminating the need for additional bracing to prevent blowouts during concrete placement.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide reinforcing clips as an additional means for securing wall reinforcing to maintain proper alignment and eliminate most manual tying of reinforcing.
Another object of this invention is to provide a chase way for electrical wiring.
Still yet another object of this invention is to provide hinged forms and corner forms allowing the formation of unlimited angles and tee walls.
Still yet another object of this invention is to provide bearing ledge forms for use as a ledge for brick, rock and other veneers and are useful for many other applications.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed.
The inherent problems of the known art are overcome by the present invention, which provides a system for constructing insulated concrete structures comprising large form panels molded from a closed cell foam plastic having inside and outside surfaces, top, bottom and end edges. Each panel has a facing attached to the outside surface, embedded vertical studs which extend the full height of the panel and a chase way to accommodate electrical wiring. Each panel has a tongue and a groove, the embedded studs extend down through the groove and the tongue having slots that correspond with the spacing of the studs, when the panels are stacked the studs slide into the slots in the tongue of the panel below aligning studs of adjacent panels vertically. The closed cell foam plastic is easily molded and has great strength and adhesive capabilities, allowing the panels to be cast in virtually any size and permanently adheres to the studs and facing creating an integral unit. The facing material provides a substrate for finish materials which substantially reduces the cost of finishing the wall, something which is unavailable in other systems. The facing material also adds substantial strength to the panels, provides a UV resistant surface on the panels and is marked for visually locating the embedded studs and electrical chase ways. The studs embed in the panels and bond with the foam plastic adding great strength to the forms. The studs accommodate slide-in spreaders to interconnect the form panels and provide a continuous means for attaching finish materials. The panels are placed in an opposing and parallel, spaced-apart, relationship and connected by a plurality of spreaders at each stud location that slide into the studs and extend between the opposing panels thereby creating a form with a cavity between the inside surfaces of the panels. The spreaders comprise opposing flanges oriented in an opposing parallel relationship, being connected by horizontal members, each member having multiple formations to accommodate wall reinforcing. The open design of the spreaders allows the concrete to flow naturally through the wall resulting in easier placement of the concrete and a much stronger wall than the known art. There are different widths of spreaders allowing the casting of a variety of different wall thicknesses.
In another embodiment of the invention a hinged form is provided, comprising at least one horizontal or vertical hinge embedded in at least one of the opposing form panels. The hinged forms can be used to form corners of any angle, allows tee walls to be formed easily and can also be used to form curved walls.
Another embodiment of the invention provides a corner form comprising opposing form panels being molded into inside and outside corner panels. Precast corner forms allow corners to be formed easily with little bracing.
A further embodiment provides a bearing ledge form comprising opposing form panels, one panel being molded with a haunch which provides a ledge for the support of brick, rock and other veneers and is useful for many other applications. The bearing ledge forms utilize specialized bearing ledge connectors which allow the bearing ledge to be installed at any location in a wall.
Multiple form panels are placed end to end in horizontal rows and stacked vertically. The panels may be staggered from each other so that ends of opposing panels are offset and end joints between adjacent rows of stacked panels do not line up vertically. There is a plurality of spreaders at each stud location, the spreaders being xe2x80x9cfull height spreaders,xe2x80x9d substantially less in height than the vertical height of the panels, and xe2x80x9chalf height spreaders,xe2x80x9d half the height of the full height spreaders. Spreaders are stacked vertically starting with a half height spreader with full height spreaders thereafter, so that at the top of each row of panels there is a full height spreader that slides into the studs in the row below half its height and into the studs in the row above the remaining half of its height, thereby stiffening the horizontal joint between rows of forms and forcing the walls to act as one unit from bottom to top. When the spreaders are stacked, the formations in the top and bottom horizontal members compliment the formations in adjacent spreaders allowing horizontal wall reinforcing to be locked in any preferred location. A reinforcing clip is provided as a means for securing vertical wall reinforcing or any horizontal reinforcing that is located at intermediate horizontal members of spreaders eliminating most manual tying of the wall reinforcing.
The large unlimited form sizes, the facing, the stud and spreader interface and the ability to lap the spreaders over the horizontal joints between rows of panels provides many benefits. The large forms require less time to place than prior art systems and the number of vertical and horizontal joints are reduced. The forms may be shipped as more compact units and assembled on site reducing the cost of shipping. The facing protects the forms from UV deterioration, from being damaged during shipment and construction and allows finish materials to be applied directly to the facing, greatly reducing the cost of finishing the walls. Lapping the spreaders over the horizontal joints straightens, strengthens and stabilizes the walls during construction and concrete placement by forcing the walls to act as one unit from bottom to top, requiring very little bracing during construction and concrete placement. It can be seen that the present invention provides many useful benefits that the known art cannot.
The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention.